“We are too slow, not athletic enough and not one of our players is outstanding by NBA standards,” he said. “We have done a good job of playing within our limits in Europe but that’s not enough for the toughest basketball league in the world, so we would find it very difficult to compete.”

Several national teams have been able to stun U.S. “dream teams” in Olympics and Worlds down the years, fully exploiting the slight differences in NBA and international rules.

But in an NBA environment with an 82-game regular season, 12 minutes instead of 10 in each quarter and the three-point line further back than they would like it to be, CSKA would stand no chance of making an impact.

Still, that won’t bother Messina as the charismatic Italian continues in his quest to win a fifth Euroleague title and make CSKA only the third team in the competition’s history to retain the silverware.

Mark, that’s why Italian clubs have become second-tier opposition for teams like CSKA, except Montepaschi Sienna. Milan, Treviso and Bologna used to be the teams to beat in Europe, now they are easy prey.